The present invention relates to valves, and more particularly to a valve assembly for controlling the flooding of a pressure vessel.
Flooding, or scuttling, mechanisms are commonly used on marine apparatuses to control the entry of water and the subsequent sinking of the apparatuses. These mechanisms may be employed to control the subsurface mooring of mines a predetermined time after deployment and at a preselected depth, such as described in the Kissinger patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,747 and the U.S. patent to Lyon, U.S. Pat. No. 3,559,580. Scuttling mechanisms may also be employed to sink marine apparatuses such as buoys, decoys and flares after use to remove potential navigational and/or personnel hazards.
The flooding, or scuttling, mechanisms currently used, such as explosive devices, electrolytic plugs and water-soluble plugs, have numerous disadvantages. The explosive devices are dangerous to handle and may necessitate the use of dry cells or other power sources with a limited shelf life. Safety requirements further complicate the logistics involved in the explosive devices, necessitating special handling procedures, the installation of safety-and-arming systems, and separate and special storage facilities. Electrolytic plugs which are consumed by electrolytic decomposition are highly inaccurate since their time delay is dependent upon the salinity, temperature and pressure of the sea water in which they are used. Salt-water soluble tablets share the same disadvantages as the electrolytic plugs and are even more sensitive to the moisture of a marine environment. Thus, electrolytic plugs and soluble tablets require special storage facilities and are not particularly suitable for applications in which the marine apparatus must be in the pre-deployment, ready condition for extended periods exposed to moisture.
The scuttling device described herein provides a means to control the flooding and sinking of a marine apparatus, particularly an apparatus having a self-contained source of pressure, which avoids the deficiencies of the prior art. The present invention provides a simple, reliable, automatic flooding device which is activated only after deployment of the marine apparatus to ensure scuttling thereof.